Agitator.



s. L. BERRY.

AGITAIOR. APPLICATION man xuLY 12. 191e.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESS IN V EN TOR.

CMM

/f/S' ATTORNEYS.

S. L. BERRY.'

AGITATOR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 12| i916- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H rmrll i /1/,5 AToR/VEYS.

Patented De@ 4, 1917.

1; ir fr SENECA BERRY, OF SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 LEON S'I. D. `lit()YlliAll't'JlE AND FRANK H. SEARLS, 30TH OF SAN FRANCISCQCALIFORNIA.

, Aerrn'roa.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.. 4t, wit.

Application filed July 12, 1916. Serial No. 108,851.

f To all lwhom `t may concern:

Be it known that I, SENECA L. BERRY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Sunnyvale, Santa Clara county, State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Agitator, of which the following is a specification.`

The invention relates to agitators for carrying out metallurgical operations and particularly to amalgamating agitators.

An object of theJ invention is to provide a self-contained agitator.

Another object of the invention is to provide an agitator amalgamator in which the pulp is brought into gentle recurrent contact with the mercury.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanically driven hydraulic agitator in which the jets issue from the agitator in the direction of its rotation.

The invention possesses other advantageous features, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following description where I shall outline in full that form of the invention which I have selected for illustration in the Vdrawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. In said drawings I have shown only one specific form of my generic invention, but itis to be understood that I do not limit myself to such form, since the invention may be embodied in a multiplicity of forms, each `constituting a species of my invention.

Referring to said drawings: `Figure 1 is a vertical section through a tank or vessel containing the agitating apparatus of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2,

1. j Fig. 3 is a detail of the tank discharge control. l

l Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the clean-up outlet for the tank.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the circulating'pump which is arranged within the tank. Y

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 5 5, Fig. 5.

rig. *z Vis daan of the'bearing for the j worm shaft which drives the agitator.`

The agitator of my invention is used preferably in thetreatment of valuable metal bearing ores and is particularly adapted to 'be used aS an amalgamator. i The apparatus as far as l. am aware, in agitatin `rotate the pump case.

comprises a tank 2, preferably formed with an iron bottom 3 upon which a suitable quantity of mercury is placed. Heretofore,

amalgainators employing a hydraulic agitator for agitating the pulp and bringing it into recurrent contact with the mercury, the agitator has been rotated by the reaction of the jets discharging therefrom. rIhis construction has certain deleterious features which the mercury. In accordance. with my invention, I drive the agitator mechanically so that much more gentle discharge jets may be used and these jets are preferably discharged in the direction of rotation of the agitator, so that the particles of metal are directed against the mercury, but the agitator may be rotated in the opposite direction when desired.

Arranged centrally within the tank 2 and rotatably mounted on the bearing ring it, which is attached to the cross beam 5, 1s a pump casing 6 arranged to be entirely submerged by the pulp in the tank. The casing 6 is secured to a hollow neck 7 which eX- tends upward into contact with the bearing ring. Secured to the neck 7 above the level of the liquid in the tank is a worm wheel 8 which is engaged by a worm secured to shaft 9, rotation of the shaft serving to They shaft 9 at its inner end adjacent the `worm is mounted in a bearing 12 which is eccentrically mounted in the block 13, so that, should the rotation of the pump chamber be resisted to a point where undue strains are placed thereon, the reaction of the worm will cause the bearmg is provided with a flaring mouth itat the top to permit the ready inflow of pulp and is provided with guide vanes 30 which arrest the rotation of the pulp.' Within .the casing is a horizontally disposed turbine imkpeller 15 having varies 2O which issecured to the shaft 16` extending vertically through the neck 7, and which is suitably supported f'therein. y'Rotation 'of the impeller serves to draw the pulp 'into the casing andV force it into the diffusion chamber 17 forming the lower part of the casing. Secured to the 4lower part of Kthe diffusion chamber vand in communication with the interior thereof, are

a plurality of hollow arms 18, lpr-'oyidedon their forward faces with a plurality of `ispaced apertures 19, preferably :consisting Aof slots cut throughnthe walls of fthe arms Lin such .mannerthat the .streams of pulp vdischarging therefrom are .inclined :toward r,thesurface Qof the mercury. The arms 18 -are ipreferably .off-set slightly from a Iradial position, so that the issuingxjets strike the mercury along a substantially .radial line,

othereby .robyliating .the tendencyfof Ithe fjets :toforce :thehea-vier material toward the pe- :ripheryl of the-tank, a condition which ob- ;it-'ainsiwhenithe arms are radially disposed.

"Mean-'s .arefprovided ifor `indicating when or apertures .therein become :clogged andfor.remoyingthe .cause of :the clogging. :Supported upon :the neck 7 and rotatable therewith, is a oasingQl'inwhich farrangedia'pressure gage :22. The casing :21,in 1which airis entrapped, =is connected :to the chamber 17. and :indicatesthe pressure fin fthe chamber. The air .entrapped inlthe casing 2l-.preyents the pulp `or. AliquidV from =cominginto contact with theioperating parts .of fthexggage. lUnder normal conditions of ioperatlomithe :pressure at .the gage :remains substantially constant, but `should theaper- 1 :tures ibecome' clogged, the pressure gage will indicate that condition. :The :impelleri shaft 16 is rotated from the `-shaftv 23 which is driven directly by an electriomotor or by. a'belt from a countereshaft. By reversing-:the direction of rotation :of the l .-imp.el5ler, feria brief period, .the material .clogging .the apertures lis dislodged. XVhen 1an electric motor 'is employed fto dr-ive .the ,impelleig the ymotor tinay beA reversed, .and

. swhenraabelt. .driyef is employed, :a Amener-sing 1v egeafrv-isppreferably used. 5 In the :presen-t concontact wifithreit-her of. theevzfrictions'Q4-lor. ;f25,rthereby reversing' the adireetionrfof l rota` dri-yes :the pump casing, from .thesharft 23,1 .through .the ,eoneapulleys .wstnuct-ion I have .employeda reversingazgear,

vcomprising `the friction cones 224e and.' 25 lsecuredizto shaft'iLG'a-nd aidriye frietioncone f w26 seouredxito. vshaf-ta-QS. fTfhe slaaftxQS is :provided .on itsgzinner `end with eccentric ibearingemounting:Qiwhehlis rotated 'by Athe handleffS toanoye the driyeifricti'on finto tion of the impeller.. 'The shaft f9,y\whiich is preferably idriven 1.131 v4.and 32 andthe'belt .33, .a construction p-'whioh v,permits .the speed .ofi'ithelV agitator 4,to

be izariezd with 'relationz to the: speed of .the ,.filnpeller.v 5:615-

.#Thegpulprtobe"treated fgiowsr-into thefftank through the pipe 34e which extends into the tank a sufficient distance so that the entering material is caught bythe pump suction `and projected against the mercury This Ainsures that the particles of metal are brought at least once into impinging con- .tact with the mercury, and therecirculation of the pulp through the pump, insurcs'the bringingofthe vparticles into recurrent impinging contact with the mercury. The pulp discharges .from the Xtank .through `.the pipe 35, .preferably intoa similar apliurratus where the agitating and amalgam-ating ac- .tion :is continued,.and `the fiow of ipulp into and out-ofthe tank ispreferably continuous. The :pipe 35 is @provided `on :its inner cud with a movable inlet 36, which permits the .discharging liquidtobc dra-'wn from the dcbution of the mercury over `the bottom thereof. The ftank is provided in the bottom with a .clean-up youtlet 42, through which :the mercury is Idischarged. This outlet is :normally closed 'by'a plug `mounted ion the stem 44, the outlet being so formed .that

it lies Vflush with :the bottom of :the tank.

I claim:

1 .An ;apparatus of ithe character described, 'comprising-a tank, a 'hol-low armed -.rotatable .structure arranged in said tank adjacent the bottom-thereof and a pump :ar-

ranged within said structure :and f adapted :to -force liquid through said farms and lltoward :said bottom.

2.. An apparatus fof the vcharacter described, comprising a` tank, a casing rotatably mountedinsaid tank, hollow .arms extending outwardly. ifrom said casing and a Vlrrotatable impefller in :sa-1d .casing .adapted to force liquid through sa-id arms v'and means f for rotating Vthe inapel-ler independently of the casing.

v8. An *apparatus of the character described, comprising a tank, a casing Arotatably :mount-ed an ssaid. tank, hollow arms eX- tending outwardly fromsaid casing .and a 4rotatable impeller in said casing adapted to force liquid'through said arms and means for mechanically rotating said casing.

4. An :apparatus of *the Ycharacter dcscribed, comprising a tank adaptedV to contain diquid, :an fopen casing rotatably snpported in said tank and .submerged in the -liquid therein, hollow .arms extending outfrom said casing and a rotatable im- .peller :in said .casingadapted to .force liquid th-rough. said arms.

5. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a tank adapted to contain liquid, an open casing rotatably supported in said tank and submerged in the liquid therein, hollow arms extending outwardly from said casing and a rotatable impeller in said casing adapted to force liquid through said arms and means for reversing the direction of rotation of said impeller with respect to said casing whereby the direction of flow of liquid through the arms is reversed.

6. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a tank adapted to contain'liquid, an open casing rotatably supported in said tank and submerged in the liquid therein, hollow arms extendin 0utwardly from said casing and a rotatab e impeller in said casing adapted to force liquid through said arms and means for reversing the direction of rotation of said impeller and means for mechanically rotating said casing.

7. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a tank adapted to contain liquid, a rotatable pump casing arranged centrally in said tank and submerged in the liquid therein and adapted to receive liquid directly from the liquid in the tank, a plurality of hollow arms extending outwardly from said casing and an impeller in said casing.

8. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a tank, a rotatable pump casing arranged in said tank, a plurality of hollow arms extending outwardly from said casing, an impeller in said casing, means for rotating the impeller, means for rotating the casing and means for varying the speed of the casing with relation to the speed of the impeller.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank, a pump casing rotatable about a vertical axis arranged in said tank, said casing being provided with a flaring inlet month, a rotatable impeller in said casing, having a different angular velocity than said casing and hollow apertured arms extending outwardly from said casing.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, a tank adapted to contain liquid, a rotatable pump casing arranged in said tank, a rotatable impeller arranged in said casing, hollow apertured arms extending from said casing, means for indicating the pressure in said casing and means Jfor reversing the direction of rotation of the impeller.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Vinnemucca, Humboldt county, Nevada, this 1st day of July 1916.

SENECA L. BERRY.

In presence of L. G. CAMPBELL, C. E. KENNEDY.

(topics of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the commissioner ot Patente, Washington, D. C. 

